Time Will Tell
by Thomas Mc
Summary: The Beast meets his match. This is an 'alternate universe' story in which Catherine finds herself in a world where she and Vincent never met.
1. Displaced and Confused

**Time Will Tell  
**The Beast meets his match**  
**_By Thomas Mc_

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**_Author's Notes : _**_This is an 'alternate universe' story in which Catherine finds herself in a world where she and Vincent never met._

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**Chapter 1: Displaced And Confused**

Catherine smiled to herself as she made her way upward from the lower tunnels where she had been visiting Narcissa. The strange old woman had always had a special relationship with Vincent and his children. Catherine had gone to see her and tell her about the new baby growing inside her. Her mind wandered back to her visit with Narcissa. The blind, confusing, sweet old woman had been delighted over the news and they had spent a long time ruminating over the precious twins that were now firmly ensconced in the terrible twos. When they weren't bemoaning all the things that the twins managed to get into, they were laughing about all the things that the twins managed to get into.

After a couple of pleasant hours Catherine stood up and told Narcissa that it was time for her to get back to Vincent and the twins. Narcissa grabbed her hand with a firm grip. "Be careful child." Her expression was now dead serious. "You must set right what has gone wrong for your world to be restored." Then Narcissa released her hand and her normal pleasant smile returned. "Hurry child, you have a long walk ahead of you." She turned her back to Catherine and ambled over to her little work bench while mumbling and chuckling to herself. After staring back at Narcissa for a few seconds, Catherine shrugged and started on her way back up to the home tunnels. In the back of her mind she played back that enigmatic warning but, as usual with such pronouncements, she could make no sense out of it. She gave up and set her mind to negotiating the long winding path that led from Narcissa's deep chambers up to the main home chambers.

~ o ~

Catherine had just entered The Chamber of the Winds which had always held a fascination for her. The eternal fog that perpetually covered the floor gave the chamber a mysterious, almost mystical quality that intrigued her. She smiled to herself over the often imagined magical adventures that would begin in a chamber like this.

Again her mind returned to Narcissa's last words of warning. At least they had sounded like some type of warning. But try as she might she still could not make heads nor tails out of them. What was wrong and how was she to make it right? As far as she knew everything in her world was perfect. Her life was perfect. She looked down at her middle. And it was getting better all the time. Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong gust that made the fog swirl around her and nearly knocked her off balance.

She regained her balance and concentrated on making her way through this most confusing chamber. She looked around at the dozens of openings in the walls of the great chamber. If she were to let her attention slip and enter the wrong passage, she could end up lost for days and Vincent would probably have to come rescue her. She concentrated, fixing the correct opening in her mind and began to move again.

As she continued across the swirling mist covered floor Catherine began to feel a bit woozy. '_It must be a side effect of my pregnancy._' she thought as she placed her hand over the gentle swell of her abdomen. She paused and leaned against the wall to let the spell pass. She started forward again and walked through the selected opening. A minute later she stopped. Something wasn't right. This tunnel looked all wrong. She should have reached a specific T-junction by now. She turned and started back and a minute later realized that she was completely lost. The next moment she felt herself falling.

~ o ~

Catherine looked down at the solid tunnel floor beneath her feet. A moment before she had been falling. Now she was just standing there as though nothing had happened. She looked around in puzzlement at tunnels that she did not recognize. '_Where am I and how did I get here?_' She wondered. She must have taken the wrong passage from the Chamber of the Winds and now she was lost. She paused to listen for several seconds. Then she heard a very faint, far off irregular, clanking sound. She smiled. She didn't know where she was but she knew where she must go. The tapping sounds could be heard coming from somewhere to her left. She immediately set off in the direction of that sound.

After several minutes of walking, she had finally reached a major tunnel and began to follow the much clearer sounds of pipe code. She still didn't recognize the area but since there was nobody else in the tunnel, she figured this tunnel was unfamiliar because it was rarely used. She knew that she was, at least, heading in the right direction by the steady increase in clarity and volume of the ever-present taping of the pipes. As soon as she located one of those pipes, she could send out a call for help.

A call for help! Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? She reached out for her bond with Vincent . . . nothing! She felt the beginnings of panic. Where was he . . . Why couldn't she feel him? With extreme effort she forced herself to calm down. Once she had herself under better control she again reached out. Slowly, agonizingly she felt for that familiar presence. At first she felt nothing. She took a few deep breaths and pushed harder. She was beginning to lose hope. There it was but it was so faint, so distant that she had to work to maintain the contact. The faint presence seemed to be totally unaware. There was no response to her probe.

The next moment the pipe messages changed and became more urgent. "**Intruder-Alert**!" It was the most frightening message one could hear in these tunnels. The coordinates for the alert were also unfamiliar and Catherine became very nervous. She began to advance very cautiously and looking around for any sign of the intruder.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a large man stepped out in front of her.

"Stop! Who are you and what are you doing down here?" The man demanded.

~ o ~

Vincent paused in his current task. There had been something barely there. A faint presence, a sense of panic, then it was gone. He glanced around but was unable to identify a source for that fleeting impression. After a few moments the fleeting impression of another presence returned but it was so tenuous, like a distant whisper that would dissipate with the slightest breeze. Then it was gone again. The next instant he was yanked from his contemplation of that strange phenomenon by the extremely urgent messages that were now racing along the pipes.

"**Intruder-Alert**!" It was a message that everyone living below feared. He recognized the location. It was along the western edge of The Maze. No one ever went there because it was so far out of the way and one wrong turn could get one hopelessly lost. The only reason they even kept watch in that area was because there were several connections to the main service tunnels that ran along the western border of the northern end of Central Park. There was always the danger of a maintenance employee wandering off and getting lost in that part of the maze or stumbling onto the northern edge of the inhabited part on the tunnels. Now it seemed that someone had stumbled into that area.

Vincent took off running toward the location of the alert. He had the feeling that he might be needed there. Then something new was added to the message. The intruder was a young female. That was a curious development.

~ o ~

The man standing before Catherine and blocking her way was unfamiliar to her. She stated to edge away from him. "Who are you? . . . What are you doing down here?" She demanded as she watched the strange man warily. This stranger must be the one that triggered the Intruder Alert. He could be a serious threat to the tunnels.

"Who are **you**?" The stranger shot back.

At that moment Catherine became aware of movement behind her. She glanced nervously back and gave a huge sigh of relief. With a couple of quick steps back she was standing with the two that had come up behind her. "Cullen, Jamie, I'm so glad you found me. Somehow I got lost in this unfamiliar area then I stumble upon your intruder." She babbled in her relief to finally encounter something familiar.

The silence that greeted her caused her to pause and look more closely at her two friends. They were both looking back with expressions of confused uncertainty. "Well, don't just gape at me like that." She pointed at the stranger with just a hint of exasperation. "We have an intruder among us! . . ." She glanced at the intruder and lowered her voice so that the unknown man wouldn't be able to hear. ". . . We need to get him out of the tunnels right away before he sees something that he shouldn't!" Her voice lowered even more. "And I need to find Vincent. I need to talk to him before I head back above."

The shock and fear on the faces of Cullen and Jamie caused Catherine to wind down in confusion. The three of them stood frozen for two seconds as the stranger stepped over to join them. Catherine became aware of the stranger's approach. Her glance bounced between the stranger and her friends. Jamie and Cullen's apparent lack of concern about the stranger caused her confusion to increase.

"How do you know about Vincent?" Inquired Jamie.

The intensity of her voice cut through Catherine's confusion and she glanced warily over at the stranger. The stranger's face showed surprise and worry as he stared back at Catherine.

She looked with growing uncertainty back at Cullen and Jamie. "What do you mean?" She again glanced nervously at the stranger then returned her attention to her friends. "And why are you talking about Vincent around a stranger?" Now there was a hint of panic on her face and in her voice. "You both know that Vincent and I have known each other for years." She again spared a quick glance at the flabbergasted look on the stranger's face. "What is going on here? Who is this intruder?"

Cullen addressed the stranger. "David, send a message that the intruder has been found. We're taking her to Father. Maybe he can make sense of this." The stranger nodded and headed back up the tunnel.

Catherine watched David walk away for a moment then faced her friends. She was feeling more uncertain and a little bit scared. She summoned some bravado and demanded. "I'm not an intruder. Why are you both acting like you don't know me? I need to see Vincent, now!" She demanded. The bravado drained away quickly leaving just a hint of tears in her eyes as her voice softened in desperation and a tear slid down her cheek. "He'll know me. He can straighten this out."

Cullen spoke to Catherine in the soothing voice one might use on a scared child. "Please, come with us miss. Don't worry we won't hurt you. We just need to get to the bottom of this."

Catherine deflated and allowed her strangely acting friends to lead her along without resistance. After a couple of minutes, they turned into a very familiar maintenance tunnel that ran right past her old apartment building. The familiar sight instantly raised her spirit. "I know where we are now. This is the north-west boundary of the community."

Again, Jamie and Cullen looked at her in stunned surprise.

The next instant another small group appeared around a bend in the tunnel and she spotted one tall powerful figure among them. She would recognize that figure anywhere, despite the concealing hooded cape, and she called out. "Vincent!" Before anyone could react, Catherine launched herself past her two escorts and into Vincent's surprised arms. All the while she was babbling about how worried she had been and how glad she was to have found him.

Vincent instinctively caught the woman and found himself with an armful of a very emotional, and very beautiful, woman that he had never seen before. She was hugging him like her life depended on it while radiating intense emotions of '_relief_' and '_joy_' and '_love_'. The '_love_', in particular, was so strong that it was almost overwhelming. Then without warning she stretched up on her toes, pushed his hood back, and passionately kissed him squarely on the lips. He felt lightning bolts run up and down his spine as he stood there too stunned to react.

After about three seconds Vincent was starting to feel a strong desire to kiss her back then he felt a growing element of '_confusion_' and '_dismay_' appear in her emotional gestalt. She drew back and stared at his face in confusion. "Vincent?" Her eyes began to tear up as she tightly clutched a double handful of his vest. "What's wrong?" She blinked twice. "Why cant I feel you?"

Vincent finally managed to recover command of his voice though he could not quite bring himself to let go of her. She could clearly see his face yet was surprisingly unfazed by his appearance. It was obviously his uneasy reaction to her that had upset her. Reluctantly he spoke to the woman. "I'm sorry miss but I do not know you."

The hurt in her eyes stuck him like a hammer. "Vincent how could you say that when I'm carrying our child." He felt a second hammer blow as the meaning of her words sank in. The startled exclamations of those around them passed un-noticed as she continued speaking. "And yet you're acting like you don't even know me . . ." Her eyes narrowed as she gazed into Vincent's deep blue eyes. "And why can't I feel your emotions?" She glanced around spotting the older man standing next to Vincent and looking back at them in total confusion. "Jacob, what's going on here? Why is everyone acting like they've never seen me before?" She pleaded like she was hoping that he could explain.

Father blinked twice at the intensity of her expression before responding. "That is because we **have** never seen you before. Who are you? How do you know so much about us . . ." He glanced at the barely perceptible swell of her new maternity clothes. "And why would you think that Vincent could possibly be the father of your child?"

"Because, he's my husband!" She retorted in desperation. "Who else could be the father?" Her voice trailed off as she glanced around at the stunned and disbelieving faces that surrounded them. She looked back at Vincent to see the same stunned disbelief in his eyes. And the tears began to fall as she leaned against Vincent's sturdy bulk. "It's all wrong. Why don't you know me? Where is our bond? What is happening to me?" She glanced up into Vincent's eyes looking for some hint of recognition, some kind of answer.

There was look of confusion and sympathy on Vincent's face and she was just barely beginning to 'sense' Vincent's emotions of '_confusion_' and '_sympathy_' but there was an alien feel to it. She could almost connect to his presence but there was no link, no bond. And he did not know her. There was no wedding ring on his finger. She looked into his face, carefully studying it. There were some very subtle differences in expressions, even in the look of his fur. Things began to become devastatingly clear to her. Taken as a whole, it was becoming obvious to her that despite the fact that this was definitely Vincent, this was not **_her_** Vincent. The realization was too much for her to handle. She sobbed in earnest as her knees began to buckle.

Vincent scooped the very distraught woman up into his arms. "I'll take her to my chamber and try to make her feel more comfortable." He remarked to Father. "We can sort this out there." He looked down at the woman in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and she had a death grip on his vest and her whole body was shivering. He looked over at Father. "She really believes everything she has been saying and she truly does not understand why we don't know her."

As the group headed toward the heart of the community, there was a hint of wonder in Vincent's face as he mulled over the implications of what this woman had said before she collapsed. This beautiful woman really believed that she was married to him and carrying his child. It was like a dream come true. But it was only a dream. He did not know this woman and Father had once told him that it was unlikely that he could have children. He shook his head. Her presence, her actions, and the things she was saying, had to mean something. Could it be that there was some hope of a better life for him?

As they passed deeper into the home tunnels more people joined them. They listened in amazement to what Cullen and Jamie were telling them about the initial encounter. Then they gazed in wonder at the pretty, well dressed young woman in Vincent's arms and at the amazed expression that continued to pass across his face.

Vincent glanced down at her beautiful, tear stained, face. A need to protect this woman at all costs washed over him. Regardless what the reality of her situation turned out to be, he would take care of her and make sure no harm came to her.

Vincent and Father entered Vincent's chamber while everyone else stopped in the tunnel outside his door. Vincent gently set the woman down on his bed then had to pull her closed fists from his vest. A strong shiver passed through her as she moaned his name. Vincent reluctantly stepped back as Father quickly checked her over.

Father straightened up from his examination. "Well she is definitely pregnant. Other than that, she is in good health. I suspect that the strain of her situation combined with the normal hormonal problems of pregnancy were just too much for her." He glanced down at the watch on the woman's wrist. "That is a 'Lady Rolex' watch that she's wearing, and her clothes appear to be very expensive. These indicate that she must be very wealthy." He looked more closely at her ring finger. "This ring, however, is relatively plain compared to that watch." He looked closer. "Yet this ring looks a lot like something that Cullen might make." He shook his head. "None of it makes any sense."

Their attention was drawn to Vincent's name softly called by the woman in Vincent's bed. She shifted then opened her eyes and, frowning, she quickly looked around, taking in the chamber, as a whole, then her entire body seemed to relax as her frown turned into a sleepy smile. "Vincent, how late did I sleep?" She closed her eyes and stretched. "I had the worst nightmare." She shifted to work the kinks out of her back. "I dreamed that I got lost in the tunnels and when you found me you didn't even know who I was." She opened her eyes and noticed Father for the first time. She frowned as her gaze shifted between the two of them and she noticed their expressions. Her frown deepened, then her face fell, and her eyes closed. "It wasn't a dream." She opened her eyes. "Was it?" She sat up and gazed steadily at Vincent, her expression suffused with disappointment. "And you are not my Vincent."

Vincent knelt beside the bed and spoke gently to the woman. "We have no idea who you are or where you came from." He cocked his head. "Though I do find the things you have said most intriguing."

The woman gave them a sad smile. "My name is Catherine." Vincent repeated her name. It felt right to say it. She blinked several times and looked around the chamber, as though taking it all in, then tilted her head. "I can see that you are not my Vincent, but you have a lot of his mannerisms . . . and you have his voice." She glanced down at her hands then reached out to take Vincent's hands. "It was your voice that I first fell in love with, days before I knew what you looked like. But I quickly fell in love with your beautiful face as well."

Father cleared his throat drawing their attention. "You seem to know everything about us yet none of us have ever seen you before." He glanced at her watch and frowned. "You certainly don't look like someone that belongs Below." His frown softened at the sad expression on her face. "Can you explain what is going on here?"

Catherine turned her sad smile on Father. "I have no explanation for what is happening or how I got here. One second, I was returning from visiting Narcissa and the next I was where Cullin and Jamie found me. None of it makes any sense." She paused. "I can only tell you what my world is like as I remember it."

Vincent shifted to a large chair next to the bed. "Tell us about the world as you remember it."

Catherine seemed lost in thought for a minute then she began to speak. She started by describing the night she was attacked outside of, her then boyfriend, Tom's party and how Vincent found and saved her. She didn't soften her description of how she reacted the first time she saw Vincent's face. She hastened to explain how the second time she saw him a minute later she no longer found his appearance frightening. Then she emphasized that by the time Vincent had escorted her to the tunnel access to her apartment building she had found Vincent's appearance to be very attractive.

Father looked surprised. "You say that you live in an apartment next to the park?" Father inquired. "People have to be indecently rich to live in that area." He blurted out.

Catherine smiled at his typical reaction. "Oh, it's worse than that." She shrugged. "I own the whole apartment building. I inherited it from my father, so I was actually paying rent to myself." She chuckled at the expression on Father's face. "I don't live there anymore. We now live in a brownstone just a couple of blocks north of the old apartment building. There is a tunnel that runs from our basement to the outer edge of the community so Vincent can come and go as he pleases."

Father and Vincent were both now staring at her in stunned silence. Smiling at their reaction Catherine continued her narrative with tales of hers and Vincent's first halting steps toward a close relationship.

Over the next couple of hours, she described the entire six years of their relationship so far. She made a point of telling them how much Vincent's initial reticence had frustrated her during the first two years that she knew him. Then she described the blossoming of the love between them once she finally convinced him that what they had was real. She described their courtship, their wedding and the beginnings of their family. Father was particularly moved to realize that their son was named Jacob after himself.

Vincent noticed that there seemed to be a significant time discrepancy and brought that up.

When told the date by Vincent, Catherine was astonished. "Then, from what you say in this . . . place . . . it is exactly one year from the day I was attacked." She looked back at them and a light dawned. "If you are not my Vincent and you are not my Jacob Wells . . . Then maybe there is another me here as well."

She stood up from the bed and started pacing. "That must be what Narcissa was rambling on about." She looked directly at Vincent. "This is what I must set right." Suddenly she was filled with purpose and determination. "I have to go fix what has gone wrong in this world." She turned and walked out of the chamber with a confident stride.

For a moment Father and Vincent looked at each other in stunned surprise. Then Father spoke. "Well go after her!" He commanded. "Try to keep her out of trouble and make sure she doesn't get lost."

Vincent paused one more moment then took off after the strange enigma of a woman. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he assumed that it would be interesting.

Vincent caught up with Catherine a few seconds later and fell into step beside her. "Where are we going?" He asked.

Catherine glanced over at him without breaking stride and raised one eyebrow. She thought a moment then a slight grin began to twitch at the corners of her mouth. "I thought I would go try to find myself."

Vincent looked back at her in surprise then cut loose with a soft chuckle. "I can't believe I just heard you say that."

She shrugged. "I've been told that I have a weird sense of humor."

He nodded. "And who told you that?"

"Actually, you and Father did . . . among others." She responded.

Vincent couldn't suppress the grin that passed across his face at the thought of Father's reaction to Catherine's apparent brand of humor.

They walked for a couple of minutes in silence as Vincent mulled over everything that had happened since this unique woman first appeared in his world. The way she had greeted him when they first met had taken him completely by surprise. Her feelings about him, or her version of him, were unmistakable. They radiated off her like heat from a campfire. The way she had embraced then kissed him had felt . . . very good. Just the idea that a beautiful sophisticated woman like her could feel "that" way about him was mind boggling. He had to admit that he certainly found himself drawn to her. She even claimed that the baby she was carrying was his and that they already had two other children at home. He sneaked a quick glance at her and sighed. It was like all of his most cherished secret desires come true.

A quick glance around and he realized that they were approaching the outer boundary of the tunnel community. Without hesitation Catherine took a turn to the left down a tunnel that Vincent was not familiar with then a turn to the right.

"This area is new to me but you seem to know where you're going." He commented.

"I should. We've walked this path together so often that I could do it blindfolded." She smiled to herself at the resurgence of those memories.

"So where does this path lead?" He asked, his curiosity peaked.

She smiled softly to herself. "This leads to my apartment building." She looked over at Vincent as a determined look crossed her face. "The main reason I moved to the townhouse was to make it easier for you to come and go whenever you wished. If I hadn't met you yet I probably would still be living there. It seems like the most likely place to find me."

Vincent shook his head and took a moment to try to make sense of her statement. He wasn't sure how much he could believe what she had been telling him. "And what do you plan to do when we get to your destination?"

She slowed her pace a bit and thought over his question. "I . . . I don't really know for sure. It depends on what I find when I get there." She looked over at Vincent. "If what I believe is correct, and since you are following me . . ." She looked at Vincent with the return of the determined expression. "Maybe, I hope to be able to introduce you to your future wife."

Vincent stared back at her, totally flabbergasted. For the next few minutes they walked in silence because he was too stunned to speak and she was deep in her own thoughts, planning out her strategy. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but his sense of her said she was being truthful so he tended to believe her. He glanced again at her. She was a very beautiful woman and her emotions were so vibrant and full of life. What could it hurt to go along with her for a little while longer?

Finally, Catherine stopped at what looked like a random point in a dim unfamiliar utility tunnel. She was staring at point in the wall where water damage had eaten away at an irregular patch in the brick wall. She stared at the wall for a moment, emotions of '_deep contemplation mixed with doubt'_ circulated in her mind. The determined expression returned as she faced Vincent. "Can you knock that damaged section of wall out for me?" She inquired.

**__**Continued in Part 2**__**

__( 190228 )__

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**_Disclaimer: _**_ The 1988 TV show __'_**_Beauty and the Beast_**_' __and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	2. Missing Pieces

**Time Will Tell  
**The Beast meets his match**  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

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**Chapter 2: ****Missing Pieces**

Cathy leaned back against her closed apartment door. She had finally definitively ended her on-again-off-again relationship with Tom.

She had tried to break it off that night of his investors' party. Then she had been attacked while leaving the party. The muggers had slashed her face, beaten and stabbed her then dumped her in the park, left for dead. If not for some stranger that had been pulled off to the side of the road changing a flat tire, she would have died that night. As it was it had been a very close thing. She had been told that her heart had stopped during the ambulance ride to the hospital. Despite the pressure put on the police department and her father's best efforts they had never found the muggers who attacked her

Though her body had eventually been put back together as good as new, her spirit had been shattered by the experience and she had found herself clinging to Tom like a drowning man clings to a life raft. Over the course of the following year she had continued to try holding on to their unstable relationship as her only port in a storm.

Then this afternoon, on the anniversary of the day she had been attacked, Tom had talked about the possibility of marriage like it was a business proposition. There was no mention of love in his words. Just talk about the financial and business advantages of the union. Tom didn't seem to even be aware of the significance of this day.

That was when she finally took a hard look at the direction her life had taken. She had been drifting, rudderless, for years and it had only gotten worse after her attack. It felt like something was missing but she couldn't figure out what. She realized that she had to make some serious changes; beginning with dumping Tom, which she had quickly proceeded to do. Now it was done and she felt relief mixed with a confusing melancholy and aloneness. The rudderless feeling had not gone away. There was still something missing. She wondered if somewhere out there was the one man meant for her. The one that would make her feel complete. If only she knew where to find him.

She sighed deeply and dismissed such romantic foolishness from her mind then pushed herself away from the door. She considered calling her father just to talk to him and hear his soothing voice. She straightened her shoulders in determination. That was exactly what she would do. She glanced at her watch to determine whether or not he was likely to be at work still. It wasn't all that late. He would most likely still be at work. She crossed to her phone and dialed her father's office number. He answered on the second ring.

The conversation started out with about a minute of awkward small talk. Then the dam burst and she unloaded her emotional turmoil on him. After a second of silence he began with several words of sympathetic comfort. Then they talked about it for a long while. Finally, she hung up, feeling somewhat better. She glanced at her watch. The call had lasted longer than she had expected and she realize that she was getting hungry. She didn't feel up to fixing anything for herself, so, she ordered delivery from a fairly expensive Italian place that she was currently fond of.

Eight minutes later her doorbell rang. She grabbed her purse and went to the door. As she pulled it open, she commented. "That was quick. How much do . . ." Her voice faltered as she found herself staring at her own imperfect reflection. She stood there for a second, momentarily stunned, then certain details caught her notice. The duplicate was not an exact copy. Her clothes and hairstyle were different, and her maternity outfit made her current condition obvious.

The look of surprise on her look-alike cleared quickly and the woman remarked. "Until this moment I really doubted that you would be real. I certainly doubted that I would actually find you here."

Then Cathy's temporary paralysis broke and she exclaimed. "Who are you?"

The look-alike stranger responded. "I'm you . . . or, at least, a version of you."

"What!?" Cathy couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"It's a long story." The doppelganger remarked. "If you will allow me to come in, I will try to explain. I am no danger to you." She glanced down at her abdomen. "Getting into an altercation with you could endanger my baby and I will not allow that." She shrugged and a small smile graced her face. "Besides, I know myself well enough to suspect that your curiosity is running rampant by now."

Cathy stared back at the strange doppelganger a moment then demanded. "Who are you, really?" A dozen lurid scenarios ran through her mind in quick succession as she stared, dumfounded at the woman. They ranged from some crazy woman trying to take over her life, all the way to ideas straight out of 'The Twilight Zone'.

"Like I told you, I am a . . . a version of you." She shrugged. "Just look at me. I'm practically like your identical twin. I also really need to talk to you. It could be important for both of us."

'_Is this woman crazy_?' Cathy wondered. Then one of those absurd ideas seemed to take hold. "Are you trying to take my place?" She decided that she should close her door before this woman could barge into the apartment.

The doppelganger looked genuinely shocked. "Oh, God no! I have a life of my own with a wonderful husband and two children with a third on the way. I only want to get back to my own life. But to get back to my life, I think that I must first figure out what went wrong for you and see if there is some way to fix it."

Cathy had her door halfway closed then paused as the other woman's words sank in. There was no denying that looking at this strange woman was like looking at herself in a mirror. Based on what she had just said, this woman seemed to have everything that Cathy had been dreaming of less than an hour ago and it sounded like she wanted to help Cathy find those things as well. But, on the other hand, the whole situation was so ludicrous as to be laughable. Yet standing right there in her doorway was this very real looking duplicate looking earnestly back at her. At that moment the elevator doors opened with a soft ding and Cathy saw the Italian food delivery person step out.

After one more moment of indecision Cathy finally relented with a sigh. She had taken all those self-defense courses from Isaac and the doppelganger **was** pregnant. The woman should be no real threat and Cathy's curiosity was getting the better of her. "Alright, come in." She backed up to let the look-alike in then stepped up to the delivery person that was now looking at the two of them in total amazement. Cathy paid for the food, adding a generous tip then closed the door.

Cathy closed her eyes a moment and prayed that she wasn't making a big mistake then turned to confront her 'guest'. "I just ordered dinner." Cathy shrugged. "The portions are more than I can normally eat. Do you want some?"

"Mario's?" The look-alike inquired.

"Yes." Cathy replied.

"Sure. I love Mario's." Her double exclaimed. "But then you should know that."

Cathy shook her head. "Let's sit at the table and while we eat, you can try to explain to me just what is going on here."

The doppelganger simply nodded, and they moved over to the small table next to the apartment's tiny kitchen. No words were spoken as they divided up the food and both women dived into their meals. After a pause Cathy asked the question foremost in her mind. "So, if you're not here to replace me, what are you doing here?"

Catherine shrugged. "I wish I knew." She seemed to be unsure how to continue but finally she began to explain. "I know how crazy this is going to sound, but here goes. One minute I was heading back to meet up with Vincent, my husband. The next thing I knew I found myself among some old friends that had no idea who I was. Then I rounded a corner to see my husband standing there. I was overjoyed and raced into his arms. But he had no idea who I was either and I had a minor melt down. Then after a few minutes talking to him I realized that he didn't know me because this was not my world, so he was not really my husband."

Cathy could almost hear '**The Twilight Zone**' theme music playing in her head. "You're right, that does sound crazy."

The next second, for no apparent reason, Catherine asked a question out of the blue. "Can you tell me what happened to you after you were attacked on the night of Tom's party?"

Cathy stared back at her in surprise. Where had that come from? "What do you mean?"

"I'm just trying to establish where and how our paths diverged." Catherine relied. "Indulge me. What happened after you left Tom's party?"

Cathy found herself dragged unwillingly back to that terrible evening. After ruthlessly suppressing the emotions that memory brought out, she slowly began to talk. "I was furious at how callous Tom had behaved over my friend's problems and left the party. Outside the building, a dark van pulled up and two men pushed me in." She paused a couple of seconds when the emotions came welling to the surface. Once she again had them under control she continued while looking down at the table. "They hurt me really bad. Cut up my face . . ." She involuntarily touched the scar under her left ear. She looked up to see the stranger displaying an identical scar under her left ear. This caused her to pause and stare in surprise. "You have a scar just like mine!" She exclaimed.

"Yea, the same thing happened to me." Catherine commented softly. "Go on. What happened next?"

Cathy shook her head and shrugged. "The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital with my face completely wrapped in bandages and Dad was calling my name. Dad stayed by my side for those fourteen days until they removed the bandages and I could see again." She paused and sighed. "It was Dad's voice that kept me sane those two weeks that I was blind."

Catherine stared at Cathy for a couple of seconds then inquired. "But how did you get to the hospital?"

"I don't really know." Cathy replied. I was told later that some man with a flat tire saw what happened and called the police. An ambulance came and took me to the hospital."

"That explains everything!" Catherine exclaimed triumphantly.

Cathy frowned at the excitable woman. "Explains what?" She shook her head. "I don't understand."

Catherine calmed down. "Vincent was the one that found me when they dumped me in the park. If there had been someone else there, like your guy with the flat, Vincent never would have gone near me." She paused to consider such a tragedy and shuddered. "Vincent took me to his home where his father fixed me up. Then he took care of me until I was healed enough to return home. Since then I **celebrate** the day of the attack because **that** is the day that I met Vincent. For those first ten days that my face was all bandaged his voice was my lifeline." She sighed deeply. "And that voice of his . . ." She rolled her eyes. "I dare any woman to listen to that voice without melting into a puddle of mush. By the end of the first week I was half way in love with him just from talking to him." She drifted off momentarily into her memories of that time.

By now Cathy was intrigued by the woman's story and wanted to know more. "Well, what happened next?"

Catherine dragged herself back to the present and continued. "By the tenth day I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore. I needed to know how bad the damage was. I knew that Vincent was out of the room, so I removed the bandages myself. When I got my first look around my environment, I found myself in some kind of underground chamber. Once I got past that surprise, I noticed that I was dressed in multiply-patched second-hand clothes. I started looking around for a mirror. The only reflective surface I could find was an old broken headlight reflector, so I picked it up looked into it." Catherine paused as a shiver ran up her spine at the memory of that moment when she first saw herself. Her gaze locked with Cathy. "I looked like something straight out of a Frankenstein movie. I looked horrible. For a moment I felt like all the air had gone out of the room and my whole life lay in pieces on the ground"

Catherine saw the look of deep sympathy pass across Cathy's face.

"Then it happened." Catherine continued. "In the reflector I saw a frightening apparition appear over my shoulder that scared the hell out of me. I turned, screamed, and threw the broken headlight at him." She noticed the sympathetic horror in Cathy's face and paused to let her words sink in. "He apologized for scaring me and left the chamber. That's when I realized that the scary apparition was attached to the voice that I had been falling in love with. It was too much for me. I broke down and cried." Catherine hung her head at the memory of that terrible moment.

"Oh my God." Cathy exhaled softly. "He was really that scary looking?"

Catherine nodded. "Seen for the first time, without any advanced warning, Vincent can be very frightening. Oh, he's not hideous or repulsive or anything like that. In fact, he is really rather magnificent looking." She smiled softly to herself. "Several minutes later he called to me from outside the doorway. He told me that he had brought me some new clean clothes so that I could return home, but he didn't want to frighten me. I pulled myself together and asked him to come in. He again said that he didn't want to scare me, and I begged him to come in. He was wearing a hooded cloak that hid his features and dropped the clothes on the bed then turned to go. I reached out and caught his hand and insisted that he let me see him. He reluctantly turned back. I swallowed my nervousness and pushed back his hood to get a better look. He was magnificent. I couldn't look away. I felt drawn to him."

"But you said his appearance was frightening." Cathy remarked, her expression showing confusion.

Catherine thought for several seconds then her smile got a little wider. "Consider the lion, a magnificently beautiful creature. But come upon one suddenly without warning and it will scare the crap out of you." She paused a moment. "Actually, despite his fierce appearance, Vincent has one of the gentlest souls I have ever encountered. He loves Shakespeare and classical music. He teaches literature to the young homeless children that his community takes in off the street. The children love him." She glanced down a moment. "However, in spite of his gentle nature, he can be as fierce as his appearance would suggest when protecting his friends and loved ones."

"He sounds intriguing." Cathy commented. "What happened next?" She was hooked on the story Catherine was weaving.

"After I got dressed Vincent escorted me through the tunnels to the basement of this apartment building. He said that some friends from above had found out where I lived, and someone, called Mouse, had found an underground route to my address." Catherine's smile widened a bit more. "By the time we arrived below this building I had already developed strong feelings for him. I swore to myself that I would one day find my way back to him." She looked at Cathy with her eyes agleam. "I did find my way back and visited him often. We fell in love, overcame our fears, got married, and started a family. I've never been happier, and I've never looked back."

There was a long stretch of silence as Catherine watched her other self contemplate everything that she had told her. Then a thought occurred to her and she voiced it. "It might surprise you to know that Doctor Alcott has known Vincent since he was a baby. It certainly surprised me when I found out."

Cathy was certainly surprised by this revelation on top of everything else. Her guest continued to watch her as she mulled over what this doppelganger had told her. And the idea that Peter knew Vincent had come out of left field to muddy the waters even further. In many ways the story sounded like some type of impossible fairy tale. Yet there was something so subtly alluring about it as well. Even his name seemed to conger up images of a hero from a fairy tale world. She wondered what it was about this Vincent's appearance that could be both fearsome and attractive at the same time.

And what would her father think about all this. Come to think of it, that was a good question to ask. "What does Dad think about Vincent?"

Catherine looked startled at the unexpected question then her expression turned somber as the memories of her father flooded in. It took her a few seconds to gather her scattered thoughts before speaking. "Dad . . . Dad died before we got a chance to introduce Vincent to him. He had a fatal stroke when an aneurysm in his brain burst." Speaking about it caused the pain of that time come rushing back with a vengeance.

Cathy stared back at her guest in shock for several seconds. The truth of her guest's statement was born out by the look on her face. Finally, she had to know. "When did this happen?"

Catherine slowly pushed the pain away as a single tear slid down her cheek. She took a moment for some quick mental calculation then responded. "If I have today's date correct . . . it will happen in about six months from now . . . more or less." She tried to recall everything that Peter had told her about what happened. "Peter told me that the rupture could have happened at any time. Any type of unusual stress could have caused it." She looked up at Cathy. "He also said that if they had found it earlier the aneurysm could have been repaired and the stroke prevented. If you could get Peter to talk Daddy into getting tested, then they should be able to save him."

Cathy stared back at her guest in stunned disbelief. But if this was true then she only had less than six months to prevent her father's death. She had to take the chance and possibly prevent this tragedy from happening. But that was something to deal with later. Right now, she needed to figure out what to do about this Vincent that her guest had been telling her about.

After a moment's thought Cathy spoke up. "If, - and I do mean **if** -, I were to consider agreeing to meet this Vincent, how would such a meeting be arranged?"

Catherine smiled. Her other self was at least willing to consider the idea. After quickly thinking of several possibilities she finally responded. "There are several places around the Central Park area that have access to Vincent's world. Any one of them could be used as a meeting place. Your balcony would work as well. I can't count how many times Vincent visited me on that balcony." Her smile turned dreamy as she remembered some of those encounters.

Cathy glanced nervously at her balcony doors. "My balcony!? How!?" Dozens of ridiculous ideas swept through her mind along with a hint of fear at the idea of someone that could enter her apartment from that impossible-to-access doorway.

Still lost in the memory of liaisons on the balcony, Catherine missed the look of worry in Cathy's face and responded. "There's an access point in the utility sub-basement of this building. He rides on top of the elevator up to the roof then climbs down to the balcony. He is an excellent climber." Catherine looked at Cathy and noticed the worried look on her face as she glanced again at the balcony doors. She hurried to add a qualification. "We had been meeting out there for well over a year before I finally managed to coax him off the balcony and into the apartment." She finished with a chuckle. "His appearance and his personality are so opposite you would have to meet him to believe it." She paused trying to figure out how to reassure her double that there was no danger.

An uncomfortable silence descended as the two stared at each other trying to think of more to say. They were both surprised by the ringing of Cathy's doorbell. Cathy glanced at her watch as she jumped up. "Who could that be this late in the evening?" She quickly strode over to her door and peered through the peek hole. "What?" She pulled the door open. "Daddy, what are you doing here?"

Charles started speaking as he stepped into the entry. "After your call I started thinking and decided to . . ." His voice faltered as he caught sight of his daughter's guest. He glanced back and forth between the two women, his expression becoming more dumbfounded with each glance. "Uuhhhh . . . Who . . .? What?" His look finally settled on the version of his daughter standing by the open door.

Cathy closed the door, glanced at her other guest, shrugged and began to explain. "It seems that for the last couple of hours I have been literally talking to myself."

Catherine gave a short involuntary snort of a laugh at the comment.

Charles shook his head. "It's a trick, some kind of elaborate scam."

His gaze centered on the doppelganger that he now realized was visibly pregnant. The woman was gazing back at him with an unusually strong look of emotional turmoil on her face and he could swear that she was tearing up as she stared back at him. Then a single tear slid down her cheek.

Cathy stepped up next to her father. "I suspected something similar until she told me things about myself that only I would know. Things I have never told another living soul. Not even you." She took in the look on Catherine's face and came to a decision. "She is definitely me only several years older and, as you can see, pregnant with her third child. She also told me something very important and I have to pass it on to you now while I still can." She paused to grab her nerve in both hands then continued. "She told me that you have an aneurysm in your brain that will kill you if you don't get it treated right away."

Charles shook his head in disbelief. "That is ridiculous." He looked at his daughter. "This whole thing is ridiculous."

Cathy found herself pleading as she gestured toward Catherine. "Can't you see it. She is me, down to the last freckle, and scar, and she has all of my memories. Please, for my sake, have Peter run the tests."

Catherine, with more tears running down her cheeks, jumped in at this point. "Even if you don't believe me, what could it hurt to have yourself tested?" She took a deep shuddering breath. "I lost you several years ago. If not for . . . well it nearly destroyed me. Please, don't make your daughter go through what I went through."

Charles looked into the pleading eyes of his daughter then into the emotion filled eyes of the distraught image of his daughter. He relented. "I will feel like a fool, but I'll do it. I'm due for a physical next week and I'll ask Peter to include the additional tests." He received a hug from his daughter. Then he saw the look-alike relax but the tears continued to flow.

After a moment Catherine managed to pull herself together. She looked down and wiped her eyes with a sniff then spoke softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to hit me so hard. I've missed you so much." Again, she sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "And being pregnant doesn't help matters either." She looked up at Charles. "I know how hard it is to believe this is real. It's just as hard for me. For the last few hours, I've just been going through the motions in an impossible situation and hoping something would eventually make sense. Then you walked through the door, alive again. It all came crashing in on me at once." Catherine shrugged. "If this saves your life then all this will have been worth it." She looked back down with a sigh. "Now, if I can only figure out how to get back to where I belong." She remarked almost too softly to be heard.

Cathy responded to her remark. "Do you really think that my meeting Vincent will send you back?"

Catherine shrugged. "I don't know. It's really just a shot in the dark, but it was the only thing I could think of." She looked at Cathy with her arms around her father and felt a pang of envy and regret. "I just want to get back where I belong."

Charles looked curiously at his daughter. "Who is Vincent?"

Catherine sighed deeply before responding. "It was Vincent that found me when the muggers dumped my body in the park. Three years later we got married."

Cathy jumped in. "That seems to be where our two . . . worlds diverged." She shrugged. "She thinks that if she can get me and Vincent together it will allow her to return to her own life."

Charles shook his head. "I still say that this whole thing sounds ridiculous."

Catherine shook her head with a snort. "Don't I know it!" She shrugged. "But I only have two options. Either I accept that it's all real and try to do something about it or I accept that I have gone completely insane. Right now, I'm desperately hoping that I'm not insane."

Charles glanced at both women then remarked. "It seems that the best way to resolve this situation is for us to meet this Vincent and see what happens."

Catherine and Cathy looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

Catherine was the one that expressed what they both were thinking. "Oh, brother. This is going to be very interesting, if not a total disaster." Catherine took a deep breath and spoke. "Give me a day to make the arrangements. Maybe I can get Peter to help." She took a couple of steps then paused, becoming very shy as she looked directly at Charles. "Before I go, I was wondering . . ." She looked down building up her courage then looked up at Charles. "Do you think I, uh, that I could have a hug." There was a deep naked need in her expression and in her emotion roughened voice.

After a moment Charles responded to the need he saw in her. "I suppose it won't hurt." Cathy released her hold and he held out his arms to the woman who, after a moment moved in to his tentative embrace. Then a feeling of rightness washed over him as he hugged her in earnest. All of his doubts evaporated. Despite the impossibility of it all, he knew that this was his daughter. After several emotion filled seconds, he released her. "You take care of yourself." He remarked as she moved toward the door. He put his arms around his own daughter as the other one let herself out the door. He looked down at the daughter in his arms. "I knew." He tightened the hug. "As soon as I hugged her, I knew that she really was you."

"Then you believe her?" Cathy asked.

"Yes, I do." He replied, looking at the closed door and shaking his head. "Heaven help me, I really do believe her." He turned his attention to Cathy. "What about you? What do you think?"

"She took a deep breath then replied. "I was just about convinced that she was real by the time you arrived."

**__**Continued in Part 3**__**

__( 190228 )__

* * *

**_Disclaimer: _**_The 1988 TV show __'_**_Beauty and the Beast_**_' __and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	3. Take A Chance On Me

**Time Will Tell  
**The Beast meets his match**  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter**** 3: ****Take A Chance On Me**

When Catherine reached the threshold in the sub-basement, she found Vincent still there waiting for her. She wanted to hug and kiss him but restrained herself. This wasn't her Vincent and there was a possibility that he would soon belong to this world's Catherine if things went as she hoped.

"How did it go?" Vincent inquired.

Catherine shrugged with a half smile. "It's hard to gauge." She responded. "Catherine seemed to believe me eventually and has agreed to a meeting." Her smile quirked to one side. "There is a complication though. Dad showed up and has become interested as well. In fact, he, pretty much, invited himself along and I couldn't think of a way to put him off."

Vincent paused at the uncertainty that he felt coming from her. "How will your father react to me?"

"I don't really know." Her expressions and her emotions turned melancholy. "My dad died before he could meet you. He is a very successful corporate lawyer, so he knows how to look beyond the surface. I believe that he would have understood but I will never know for sure." Her emotions shifted again as determination took over. "I need to speak to Doctor Peter Alcott. He will have a better idea how Dad might react."

Vincent looked at her in surprise. "You know Doctor Alcott?"

Catherine responded with a shrug. "I've known him since the day I was born. He is our family doctor **and** a good friend of the family." She chuckled. "I was shocked when I found out that Peter was a long-time friend of the tunnel community. He was just as shocked when he found out that you and I were friends." She gave another short snort of a laugh. "It ought to be interesting when I tell him what I want from him." She shook her head and placed her arm through Vincent's slightly bent elbow then remarked with a grin. "Shall we?" Then she was off taking a bemused Vincent along with her.

After a few minutes of walking in silence Vincent asked the question foremost on his mind. "Catherine, do you know what you're doing?"

Catherine frowned in thought as she took several steps and released a deep sigh before responding. "To be honest . . ." She shook her head with a shrug. ". . . I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just making this up out of thin air as I go along." She looked up at Vincent's lion-like face. "All I know is the last thing that Narcissa said to me . . . She told me to be careful. Then, in that mysteriously serious tone of hers she told me that I must set right what has gone wrong, and something about my world being restored." She shrugged again. "A half-hour later I found myself in a world that was not mine." She raised her free arm in exasperation. "A world where my husband and all of my tunnel friends have never met me." A single tear slid down her cheek as she looked at Vincent. "Where **_you_** don't know me."

Vincent patted her hand in the crook of his elbow. "I believe you Catherine. You know that I can sense the emotional truth in your words." He graced her with just enough of a smile to let his fangs peek out. (Something he almost never did around others.) "I will help you all that I can. We will figure this out." He cocked his head to the right. "If all else fails, I can take you to see our Narcissa."

Catherine gave a little chuckle at the idea of telling this Narcissa that had never met her that she was at fault and needed to tell her how to fix this. At least Vincent's words had put her more at ease.

~ o ~

It was late in the afternoon and Peter Alcott headed toward the number three examination room, his head churning with curiosity and just a hint of worry. His receptionist had told him that Catherine Chandler had just shown up without an appointment saying that it was urgent that she see him right away. He had told her to put Miss Chandler in room three.

He stepped into the room and paused for just an instant. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something different about Cathy. Maybe it was her new hair style or her clothes or the way she was looking at him like she was studying him. He blinked twice as he realized that she was wearing maternity clothes, which made no sense. He closed the door then took a few more steps toward her. "Hello, Cathy. Now what is so urgent that you needed to see me about?"

She paused a moment. The strangest expression Peter had ever seen, comprised of equal parts uncertainty, worry and mischievousness, flashed across Cathy's face. Then he saw her expression shift to determination.

Catherine drew on the courage that Vincent had helped her find and jumped in feet first. "I need two big favors from you. First I want you to help introduce me and Daddy to Vincent."

Peter was momentarily staggered. "Wh . . . what . . . What are you talking about?"

Catherine shrugged. "You know. Vincent . . . tall, gorgeous blue eyes, very shaggy, claws and fangs, kinda looks like a lion-man . . . Vincent."

"But . . . but . . . how . . .?" Peter stuttered, his eyes wide with surprise.

"I will explain everything, but before that I want you to do a sonogram on me so that you can see for yourself that I am most definitely pregnant. Seeing for yourself will make the rest of what I'm going to tell you easier to accept."

Peter was flummoxed. Despite her attire, he knew that she couldn't possibly be pregnant or at least not enough to show or to need maternity clothes. "But I gave you a full checkup two and a half weeks ago and you were definitely **not** pregnant."

Catherine nodded. "That's even better. Now let's get to it. After you do the sonogram, I will try to explain everything."

Peter was still in shock at her initial request and he had just enough presence of mind to tell his nurse to bring in the sonogram machine. Then he returned his attention to Cathy looking for some sign that could explain what she was saying. Now that he was looking more closely, she did seem to have added a couple of inches to her waist line and her bust line. He blinked. It wasn't possible. Like he had insisted a few seconds ago, it had only been two weeks and three days since her checkup. How could she be noticeably pregnant in that short of time? But more importantly, he had to ask. "How do you know about Vincent?"

Catherine grinned and shrugged. "Oh, we've known each other for several years. In fact, . . ." She glanced down at her middle and her smile softened. "Vincent is the father."

Peter had been reaching to lean against the counter top next to the examination bed as her last four words sank in. He missed and had to fight to avoided falling over. "**What**?" He exclaimed as he regained his balance.

Catherine looked up at Peter, her expression unchanged. "I'm married to him. That's . . ."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Then his nurse eased the door open to roll in the sonogram machine.

~ o ~

Peter stared at the sonogram screen in disbelief. But there was the proof right before his eyes. She had to be about two and a half to three months pregnant. How could this happen in less than three weeks? Operating in a daze, Peter cleaned everything up and shut the machine down.

Finally, Peter spoke. "This makes no sense."

"Catherine smiled at him. "That is because it was the other Catherine that you examined over two weeks ago."

Peter looked back at her in confusion. "Other Catherine?"

"I don't really belong here. I'm not your Catherine. The Catherine that you examined two weeks ago is the one that you've known all your life. I've actually only been here for a day."

Peter stared at her incredulously. As ridiculous as it sounded, the idea that there were two Catherines actually made more sense than her becoming two and a half months pregnant in two and a half weeks. After a few moments, he recovered enough presence of mind to inquire. "What is going on? How could there be two of you?"

Catherine cocked her head and watched his face as she began to tell Peter her story. "To explain what is going on I have to go back to the day I was mugged and left for dead in Central Park. It was Vincent that found me. The spot where the muggers dumped my body turned out to be near the tunnel access that Vincent commonly used when he went above to the park at night. He saw what happened and, as they drove away, he ran over to where I lay. He discovered that I was still barely alive but fading fast so he took me below to Jacob who patched me up and saved my life."

Catherine went on to describe the ten days she spent in Vincent's bed with her eyes bandaged up. When she told about the day she removed the bandages, she was brutally honest about her first reaction to her own appearance and her reaction the first time she caught sight of Vincent. She also repeated the words that Vincent had spoken from outside the chamber entrance afterward.

She saw the look of sympathy and sorrow in Peters face at her words and continued. "Immediately after I heard his words, it hit me. I realized that he was the one who had been caring for me and working so hard to keep my spirits up for those ten days of darkness. It also explained how furry his hand felt that one time I had touched him earlier." Catherine went on to give an abridged version of the friendship and courtship between her and Vincent to, a now engrossed, Peter. She skipped over some of the darker periods of that time.

She did however relate the story of how her father had died. Peter was shocked and saddened by this revelation. He decided that, regardless of whether this woman was telling the truth or not, he was going to add a few extra tests when Charles came in for his annual physical next week.

Catherine went on to describe her purchase of the brownstone with direct access to the tunnels and their wedding day. Because of her knowledge of so many details of the tunnel environment as well as her knowledge of several of the people of that community, Peter could not doubt that she had to have been there many times.

Finally, she reached the end of her story. "So here I am. Not only am I in the wrong time; I don't think that I'm even in the same world. And I have no obvious way to get back to where I came from." She looked Peter in the eye. "All I have to go on is what Narcissa last said to me. I know it's farfetched and desperate, and it probably won't work, but getting this world's Catherine and Vincent together is the only thing I can think of that might help me get back to where I came from." She looked down as a tear slid down her cheek. "Back to my family." She finished softly.

Silence fell over the room as Peter thought over everything that she had told him. After a long period, he reached out and, with two fingers under her chin, gently raised her head until she was looking him in the eye. "Your story makes me want to believe in miracles." He brushed away the few tears on her cheek. "If this proposed meeting of yours is successful, Vincent may very well be exactly what Cathy needs. I believe he could help her to recover the zest for life that she seems to have lost since the mugging. In fact, it just might help her to finally figure out what she wants to do with her life." He shifted his hand to rest on her shoulder. "God help me . . . I will aid you in arranging this meeting." He tilted his head in inquiry. "Have you decided where to hold this meeting?"

Catherine shrugged. "Not really. I thought of my counterpart's apartment but I'm not really sure."

Peter shook his head. "In her current state of mind, that might not be the best idea." He thought a moment then smiled at her. "May I suggest that he have it at my home tomorrow afternoon . . ."

Catherine thought a moment then smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea . . ." Then she frowned. "But how will Vincent get there?"

Peter grinned back at her. "Just last month, Mouse and Jamie finished a connector tunnel from my basement to the rest of the tunnel system . . . I thought you would know that."

Catherine looked at Peter in surprise and shook her head. "My Peter never had direct access to the tunnels." She gave him a puzzled look. "Believe me, if he had such a connection, I would have known by now." She shrugged. "It's just another small difference between your world and mine." She paused a moment to consider this latest development then smiled mischievously at Peter. "Since we are holding this meeting at your place, why don't you call me and Dad right now and issue the appropriate invitations. I'm curious how I will respond."

Peter looked at her blankly for a moment, blinked twice, then smiled. "You like doing that don't you." He accused.

Catherine nodded. "Actually, it **is** fun to produce phrases like that and watch people's reactions. Some of the expressions are downright hilarious."

Peter shook his head as he pulled out his mobile phone. "You definitely have my Cathy's mischief streak."

~ o ~

Catherine paced nervously in Peter's front parlor as Peter and Vincent looked on in amusement. Her mumbled comments alternated between bemoaning the certain disaster that was rapidly approaching and desperately beseeching of the 'powers-that-be' that this afternoon's event would work out well for everyone involved. She glanced at the old grandfather clock that had always stood in the corner of Peter's parlor for as long as she could remember. Had the blasted thing stopped working? Surely it was later than that. She shook her head then continued pacing and mumbling.

After a few more seconds Vincent turned to Peter noticing the predominance of _amusement_ in his emotions. "Is Catherine always so . . . energetic?" Vincent commented as he continued to watch Catherine pacing.

"The one I know is." Peter sighed as a hint of _sadness_ intruded into his emotions. "Or she used to be." A frown crossed his face. "For the last year, since the attack, she has been . . . much . . . less so." He cocked his head and looked at Vincent. "She lost something vital after that night." He looked back at Catherine who had stopped pacing and was gazing at the two of them. "There is, however, no doubt in my mind that they are both the same person, but with very different recent histories."

Catherine set her fists on her hips. "Men! . . ." She opened her mouth to say more but jumped when the doorbell sounded. She stood there, frozen; suddenly feeling very uncertain as she glanced at the clock then turned her attention to the door. They were early. The moment of truth was upon her and she suddenly found herself contemplating what a risk she was taking with the lives and emotions of several people that she really cared about.

Peter stood up and went to the door as Vincent quickly retreated to Peter's kitchen in the back of his home. Peter paused at the door and looked back over his shoulder. For a moment, he regarded the deer in the headlights look on Catherine's face. "Cathy?" He inquired but she didn't respond. "Cathy?" He repeated without any response as her eyes got bigger from growing worry. "Catherine!" He exclaimed more forcefully.

Catherine jerked then shook her head and her look shifted toward Peter.

Peter smiled at her. "Don't worry Catherine. You and your father both have good hearts and a reasonably understanding nature. Vincent is one of the gentlest and friendliest souls I have ever met. I'm sure that everything will turn out all right." He saw her relax slightly and he turned to the door.

Peter opened the door and invited Charles and Cathy to enter. As they entered, they both quickly scanned the parlor but saw no one else in the room besides Peter and the other Catherine. For a moment Peter glanced back and forth between Cathy and Catherine. He had already accepted that there were currently two of them but to see both of them in the same room left him with a vague sense of unreality. After a moment he shook himself and closed the front door.

Cathy was the first to inquire. "Where is Vincent?"

Catherine took a moment before responding. "Vincent is in the back. But before you meet him there is something that I need to explain." She thought a moment then continued. "Do you remember my comment about a lion's appearance being both terrifying and magnificent at the same time?"

Cathy nodded, her curiosity increasing. Charles simply stared back uncertainly. Peter looked back at her with a hint of amusement as he wondered where this was going.

Catherine continued. "That comment was far more appropriate than you might think." She took a deep breath to steel herself. 'Well here goes.' She considered her words for another moment then she continued speaking. "The simplest way that I know of to describe Vincent would be to call him a lion-man." She noted the looks of surprised confusion on the faces of both Cathy and Charles. Peter's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected her to describe him so blatantly. After a second, she continued. "There's really no better way to describe him. He looks exactly like a cross between a human and a lion . . ." For a moment she paused to give her words time to sink in and consider her next words. "Yet in reality he is more than human enough to give me two beautiful children . . ." She glanced down at her middle. ". . . and very soon it will be three." She ended with a soft smile as she continued to look down at her middle for another second.

Charles and Cathy both stared back at Catherine with stunned disbelief while Peter worked hard to suppress the snort of surprise and amusement.

Though he was pretty sure that Vincent had heard everything Catherine had said, Peter still called out. "You may as well come out Vincent since Catherine has let the cat out of the bag, so to speak."

"So, I heard." A very unique voice called from the back of the place. "I'll be right out."

Cathy felt a vaguely erotic shiver run up her spine at the sound of that gentle supremely masculine voice and shook herself to break the spell it cast. Charles blinked in surprise at the quiet power the voice seemed to exude. The next instant Charles and Cathy both gasped as they stared at the powerful apparition that had appeared before them.

For his part, Vincent's gaze had locked onto Cathy. He had been strongly drawn to Catherine from the first moment that he had met her, but that attraction paled to insignificance next to the powerful attraction he now felt for this, nearly identical, woman that he now faced. He suddenly felt tongue-tied. "it's . . . um . . . it's nice to meet you." He finally managed to haltingly get out. Suddenly he felt himself blushing.

Cathy could only whisper. "Wow!" Her doppelganger had been right. Vincent was both frightening and so incredibly magnificent at the same time. Her heart was pounding as she took in every aspect of his very unique appearance. She was amazed at how strongly she was drawn to him. The fear she thought she should feel at his appearance was nowhere to be found. It was like she had known him for years. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel the reality of him. For a moment, she wondered if her reaction was just the result of everything that her duplicate had told her or possibly the result of her recent feelings of lost loneliness. Whatever the genesis of her feelings, it didn't really matter. The attraction she felt was absolutely undeniable. For the first time in over a year, the cloud that had hung over her was rapidly dissipating and she found herself wanting to do whatever it took to retain this wonderful new feeling in her life.

Peter was looking back and forth between Cathy and Vincent. Up until this moment he had been very uncertain about what might happen when Cathy and Charles met Vincent. He had not expected disaster, but he could never have predicted the instant connection that had apparently sprung up between Vincent and Cathy. He suspected that the things Catherine had told them both about her life may have, to some extent, propelled them both toward a favorable reaction. But even so the reaction he was witnessing in Cathy was so much more than anyone could have expected. The look of wonder in her eyes was something to behold. After a couple of seconds Peter dragged his gaze from Cathy and looked at Charles.

When Charles was finally able to draw his eyes from the impossible leonine image before him, he looked over at his daughter and was surprised to see iridescent wonder and amazement shining in her eyes. After a second, he looked back at Vincent and, seeing beyond the lion-like features, he saw the exact same powerful emotions reflected in his startling sapphire blue eyes. His mind was a chaotic whirl of conflicting emotions that he was unable to sort out. He glanced back and forth between the two of them a couple of times before breaking the frozen tableau by noisily clearing his throat.

Cathy had unconsciously started to step toward Vincent when she was startled by the clearing of her father's throat.

Everyone's attention shifted toward Charles as he finally spoke. "So, Peter, how long have you known about this?" He gestured toward Vincent as he turned his gaze on to his old friend.

Peter shrugged. "I've known about Vincent since shortly after he was found behind Saint Vincent's. He couldn't have been more than three or four hours old at that point." He gestured toward the sofa group. "Let's sit down and we can talk."

Vincent settled on the end of the sofa adjacent to the love seat. Then Catherine took the other end of the sofa and Peter took the easy chair at the end of the sofa next to Catherine. Charles moved toward the second love seat across from the sofa. Cathy paused just a moment and took the end of the love seat next to Vincent which caused Charles' eye brows to go up in surprise and consternation. He wasn't all that keen on his daughter being so close to Vincent. His eyes kept going to those deadly looking claws at the end of Vincent's fur covered hands. Everything about Vincent's appearance screamed 'danger', and his daughter was sitting way too close to that frightening apparition. After a moment's hesitation Charles shifted his destination to the love seat beside his daughter.

After a few seconds, Cathy hesitantly reached out and touched Vincent's furry hand. They both felt a nearly electrical current pass between them causing them to momentarily look into each other's eyes. They both smiled shyly for a moment then she withdrew her hand.

When Vincent smiled at Cathy, Charles thought his insides had fallen away from him. **Fangs!?** Vincent had Fangs?! The world around him seemed to be spinning out of control and reality seemed to have taken a vacation. Then his gaze shifted to his daughter's profile. She was staring at Vincent and smiling. He hadn't seen his daughter really smile since that day she had been mugged. He shifted his position to the other loveseat so that he could better see his daughter's face. In her smile and in the light in her eyes, he saw that the life that had been missing for so long had come roaring back and was still growing in strength. There was already more life shining in her expression than he had seen since her mother died. It was almost blinding in its intensity.

Catherine and Peter witnessed the moment Cathy had touched Vincent's hand and could practically see the electricity crackle between them. Catherine smiled. She understood better than anyone what was happening. Peter was dumbfounded.

Almost simultaneously Catherine and Peter both shifted their attention to Charles when he shifted to the other loveseat to see how he was reacting. The scowl that overlaid the swirling emotions exhibited on his face was not very encouraging. They looked at each other, unsure how Charles was going to react.

For the moment Vincent and Cathy were oblivious to everyone in the room except each other. Cathy again reached out and this time when their hands touched, she closed her fingers around his hand and a moment later his fingers curled around her hand. She found herself contemplating the impressive fangs that he had revealed as well as his very unique feline lips. Some of the things her doppelganger had told her about that alternate life raced through her mind. She found her smile growing as she considered possibilities and blushed at her own brash thoughts. The next moment Vincent ducked his head and began to blush just as deeply as Cathy.

Seeing the way Cathy's smile got even brighter when she took hold of Vincent's hand the second time caused the breath to whoosh out of Charles as he slumped back into the loveseat. He glanced between his daughter and the lion-man in a strange combination of uncertainty, wonder and disbelief. The look he saw in his daughter's eyes reminded him of the look he had often seen in his beloved wife's face before she had passed away. Even more surprising was that despite Vincent's not-quite-human face, Charles could clearly discern a look of wonder in his face that was a perfect match to the look Charles had often seen in his own mirror when Caroline had still been a part of his life.

Witnessing the way, first Cathy, then Vincent had blushed Catherine couldn't help giggling. "Be careful Cathy." She warned. "Vincent can read your emotions like an open book."

"Wh-what?" Cathy asked as everyone in the room looked at Catherine in response to her comment.

"What do you mean?" Charles inquired uncertainly.

Peter merely expressed a speculative frown.

Catherine paused, trying to think past the momentary panic. She had not intended to spring this particular revelation on them this soon. It had just popped out. She really had no idea how Charles and Cathy would react to this information, this early in the game. Now she was wishing that she could take that last statement back, but it was too late now.

**__**Continued in Part 4**__**

__( 190228)__

* * *

**_Disclaimer: _**_The 1988 TV show __'_**_Beauty and the Beast_**_' __and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	4. Life And Love And Destiny

**Time Will Tell  
****The Beast meets his match  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter**** 4: ****Life And Love And Destiny**

Catherine glanced at Charles and could see a hint of worry creeping into his expression as he contemplated what she had just said. She then looked at Vincent. He was looking back at her with a curious expression. She sighed and gathered her wits as her gaze swept the group that currently occupied Peter's living room. Well, the statement was out there, and now it required an explanation.

She sighed again. "OK . . ." She took another breath. "I know that this may sound a bit farfetched, but the truth is . . . Vincent is a true empath. He can directly sense the emotions of anyone in the same room as him. He really has very little choice in this. The only way for him to avoid this is by actively blocking that ability . . . and even then, there is often some leakage past the block." She glanced around gauging everyone's reaction. She noticed that Vincent was almost as surprised as everyone else. Before anyone else could speak, she jumped in to head off the first question that she was expecting. "Before you ask, **No**, Vincent cannot read minds. He can only sense your emotions. He could, for instance know that you were angry, but he would not know whether you were angry at him or angry at your boss from work or angry about the morning paper's headlines. All he would know is that you were angry about **something**." She smiled to herself. "The best part for me is that **my** Vincent knows when I need his comfort, whether because of a bad day at work or bad traffic coming home, and he is always there for me." She shrugged. "The rest of what his empathic ability might mean, you will have to discover for yourself."

There was a long stretch of silence as each person contemplated this newest revelation. Charles was looking at Vincent with an expression of uncertainty. Cathy had a look of deep contemplation with a hint of a blush as she gazed at Vincent. Vincent wore as look o f surprised recognition on his face as he looked first at Catherine then shifted his gaze to Cathy. Then his smile became almost shy.

Peter had a look of wide-eyed discovery as he looked at Vincent then glanced over at Charles. "That actually explains a lot." Peter remarked. "Ever since he was a young child, Vincent has always been very sensitive to the moods of those around him and always managed to be there when help or comfort was needed." He glanced at Vincent and smiled. "And he is always considerate of others' feelings."

Cathy was the next to speak, a bit hesitantly, as she looked directly at Vincent. "So, you know, exactly, how I'm feeling right now?" There was a hint of a blush staining her cheeks.

Vincent nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on her face. "Yes, I do." He remarked with a hint of shy wonder.

Cathy's blush turned a deeper crimson as she shyly looked away from Vincent. At the same moment Vincent also looked away. The look of shy wonder, however, persisted on both of their faces.

Everyone else in the room stared silently at Cathy and Vincent, unable to think of anything to say.

When Cathy regained her composure, she dragged her attention from Vincent trying to think of something to change the topic. Then she turned to Peter. "So, Peter, Just how did you cross paths with Vincent?"

Peter looked at her for a moment in surprise before he shifted gears and began speaking. "It all began when I was contacted by an old friend that I hadn't seen for several years . . . And frankly I thought he was dead. His name was Jacob Wells and he had disappeared shortly after his life was totally ruined by those jackals on the House Un-American Activities Committee. . ."

Charles looked over at Peter in surprise. "I remember hearing about that. Jacob Wells was a medical researcher that objected openly to the government testing the effects of radiation on American troops. His very public statements ruffled some very important feathers. The committee responded by labeling him a Commie Sympathizer and practically crucified him. They destroyed his life, and then he just disappeared. The wide spread belief at the time was that the committee was responsible for his disappearance. It was one of the major pieces that helped bring the whole Un-American Activities Committee crashing down around their ears. A friend of mine was Jacob's attorney back then." He glanced momentarily at Vincent then back at Peter. "But you say he was still alive a couple of years later."

"Yes, and he is still is alive today. I just talked to him very recently." Peter responded. "Anyway, back to how I first encountered Vincent." Peter went on to tell of how his long-lost friend had come to him for help with the sickly infant Vincent that had been found in the alley behind Saint Vincent Hospital. He described his surprise at his first sight of the infant and the first days spent fighting for the strange infant's life and the relief felt by everyone when it became apparent that the infant was going to survive. Peter then began telling them a little bit about Vincent's infancy and early childhood.

Meanwhile Cathy was surprised by the realization that the attraction that she had felt within less than a minute of meeting this incredible lion-man was continuing to grow steadily stronger. It wasn't rational but it was very real. As Peter came to a natural pause in his stories Cathy spoke up, trying to keep the subject going while she contemplated what was happening to her. "Vincent, why don't you tell us what it was like for you when you were growing up?"

After a moment's consideration Vincent began to tell his story, beginning when at five years old he first began to realize just how very different he was from the other children around him. He talked about being raised by Jacob Wells. He also talked a lot about his surrogate big brother Devin and the adventures they went on together. Some of those adventures drew laughter from Cathy and Charles. Occasionally, Catherine would jump in and add a few details that even Vincent was, as yet, unaware of. All the while Vincent's voice wove a magical spell as Cathy slipped from attraction to infatuation and finally to the beginnings of real love. For his part Vincent could easily sense the shifting emotions within this beautiful woman before him and was, most definitely, falling for her.

During all this Charles wrestled with his feelings about Vincent. The stories that produced laughter also made Vincent seem more human … less frightful. As the stories continued Charles became more accepting of the strange lion-man. But there were still things about him that bothered Charles. He had noticed the looks of growing attraction between Cathy and Vincent and despite the reason for this meeting, he was very unsure about the idea of Cathy and Vincent together. He was also aware that the connection between them was quickly taking on the aspect of a force of nature and he realized that it was already too late. The situation was already out of his hands and this made Charles more uneasy.

Charles glanced over at Catherine. She had been right when she had believed that the connection between the lion-man and his daughter was inevitable once they met. He felt a sense of chagrin as he thought, '_Who would know better, what would happen, than someone that had already been through it?_'

Catherine was watching Cathy and Vincent with a self-satisfied grin on her face. So far, the relationship between Cathy and Vincent was developing faster and more smoothly than she had dared hope. She glanced over at Charles who was looking back at her. The worried look on his face bothered her. Catherine's father had never met Vincent, so she had no reference points to help her anticipate his reactions. She was flying blind here. A few minutes ago, she had seen his frown deepen as he realized what was happening between His daughter and Vincent. She looked back at Vincent and Cathy. Her input was not needed there. She again turned her attention back to Charles, taking in the uncertainty and worry that now clouded his face, as he was again watching his daughter. Maybe this was where her interference would be most useful.

She shifted over beside Charles and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, startled by the unexpected contact. She cocked her head to the side, indicating that he should follow her. Charles glanced quickly back at Cathy and Vincent then stood up to follow his daughter's doppelganger. He was very curious about what she wanted.

As they moved away from the others, he considered how odd it was. He knew that she wasn't, really, his daughter but that was not how it felt. It felt like he had just found his daughter's long-lost identical twin. The kinship felt real to him.

Catherine led him through the parlor door into the dining room. She indicated that he should have a seat at the dining table. He glanced back worriedly at his daughter then a bit reluctantly took the seat that she had indicated. Once he sat down, he realized that he could still see his daughter and Vincent through the doorway.

Then Catherine began talking. "I can see by the expressions on your face how unsure you feel about all that." Catherine gestured through the door toward Cathy and Vincent. Her attention remained on the couple as she continued speaking. "I understand how Vincent must appear to someone that has never known him. He scared me half to death the first time I saw him, then I heard his voice and realized that he was the one that had been taking care of me for those ten days that I spent blinded by all the bandages wrapped around my face." Her gaze shifted back to Charles. "I realized that he was the one that I had already been falling in love with, and I took a, long, hard, second look at him. There is a lot more to him than fangs and claws and a shaggy mane."

"She's right about that." Remarked Peter as he stepped through the doorway. "He is also a scholar of classical literature and poetry, a major fan of Shakespeare, a beloved teacher among the children of his community, and a good friend to all who know him." His gaze shifted to rest on Catherine. "There has always been one problem for which we were unable to find a remedy. He was lonely. He was the only one of his kind. No one thought he would ever be able to have a love life or a family." He smiled at Catherine. "Then a beautiful stranger from another reality that was totally unafraid of him showed up and practically leaped into his arms. She talked about love, a marriage, and children. Suddenly there was hope . . . something we, who know Vincent, can never thank her enough for."

Catherine smiled back at Peter then ducked her head a bit. "Thank you, Peter, but, you know, my motives are not all together altruistic."

"We all know your motives." He grinned with a gleam of humor in his eyes. "But that does not diminish the wonderful impact you have had on Vincent . . . or the rest of us who care about him."

Catherine smiled her acknowledgement at Peter then continued looking off into space as she spoke. "Before I met Vincent, my life was without meaning or direction. I was just another rich society scion drifting along, living off my trust fund, with no goals or plans for my future." She looked directly at Charles. "I know how hard you tried to be there for me after mother died but you were just as lost in your own grief as I was in mine." She glanced wistfully through the doorway at Cathy and Vincent, already deep in their own world. "Then Vincent found me, dying in the park, and saved my life. From the moment I first heard his voice I felt safe and cared for. I knew that everything would turn out OK."

Catherine paused, glancing over at Cathy and Vincent in the other room, then smiled and turned her attention back to Peter and her father. "Vincent soon turned my life into one continuous, beautiful, magical, adventure. We married on the third anniversary of the day I was attacked because that was the day that I truly began to live again. The few difficulties his appearance caused have been nothing more than an occasional insignificantly minor annoyance at most. We have a son that is the image of Vincent and a daughter that looks more than anything like the way I remember mom. We named our son Jacob, after the man that raised Vincent. Our daughter is named Jennifer, after Vincent's mother. Soon we will be welcoming our third child into the family. I truly have lived a happy life since I met Vincent and it just keeps getting better." She seemed momentarily lost in her own world, and then she turned her attention back to Charles. "One of my greatest regrets in my life is that my father never got to meet Vincent and see how happy he made me." Her gaze moved from Charles to Peter and back then she gave a small shrug. "As much as I want to get back to my own life, I also want to give them . . ." She nodded toward the couple in the other room. ". . . the same gift that I have with my Vincent."

For several silent moments Charles stared at Catherine, mulling over what she had said. He had been aware for a while now about his daughter's lack of drive and direction. He suspected that it related back to her mother's death. That had just been confirmed by this other version of his daughter. The reason that Cathy currently worked at his firm was because it had been the path of least resistance. He kept hoping that something would come along to break her out of her general apathy.

For a short time, he had hoped that Tom Gunther would be the catalyst he was praying for, but Tom had been less that worthless as a boyfriend. Then that damn mugging attack had happened, and she had sunk even deeper into her apathy and the relationship with Gunther had inevitably fallen apart.

He was really beginning to fear that she would continue to go downhill. He glanced through the door at his daughter talking to the lion-man. He hadn't seen her face this animated since before her mother died. She was, actually, displaying a genuine smile that reached all the way to her eyes. He looked back at Peter and Catherine. "Okay, I'll do my best to keep an open mind about him . . ." He shook his head ruefully then sighed. ". . . and hope my brain doesn't fall out."

Suddenly Peter came out of his reverie with a start. "Wait, you said something about Vincent's mother." He shook his head. "We've never known who his mother was. All we know is that he was abandoned in the alley behind Saint Vincent Hospital." He stared at Catherine for an explanation.

Catherine ducked her head. "Ooops . . . I probably shouldn't have mentioned that." She shook her head and sighed. "If that part of things happened the same here as in my world, then a couple of years from now, my friend Jenny will know about Vincent. She will come across some pages torn from a diary. It is a first-hand account of how Vincent came to be born in that alley. She was on the run from some very bad people and she thought her baby died seconds after he was born. We were able to track her down and convince her to move back to New York. She lived with us for a short time and her room is always there whenever she wants to use it. The point is that she is alive and a part of our lives."

~ o ~

Cathy noticed the exit of her father and Catherine a few minutes ago and she glanced over at Peter's dining room where she saw her father, and her other self, sitting at the table, deep in conversation. No doubt they were discussing Vincent. And now Peter was heading in the same direction. Cathy returned her attention to Vincent and that incredible voice of his. Just listening to his voice made her feel warm and safe inside. Most importantly, for the first time in a very long time, she felt alive and excited about what was happening.

The subject had shifted to the confusion that Catherine's first appearance had created in Vincent's community. His description of his feelings and reactions to Catherine's first appearance was both moving and humorous. She couldn't help but smile at his words. "It's so strange." His expression became contemplative as he stared into the distance. "I immediately felt such a strong unexplainable attraction to this beautiful stranger that literally leapt into my arms the moment she saw me . . ." His expression shifted to a soft warm smile as he looked directly into Cathy's eyes. ". . . But that all seems to pale next to the powerful attraction that I felt the moment I saw you for the first time. I don't know how you father will feel about it, but I find myself desperately hoping that everything your double says about us is true."

As Vincent spoke of his hope, Cathy became aware of the strength of the growing 'love' that she was developing for him. It was already stronger than anything she had ever felt before. It was ridiculous, impossible, yet there it was. She could not deny her feelings. She was most definitely falling for him.

~ o ~

Charles glanced over at Vincent and Cathy, and then returned his attention back to Catherine. "You and Peter have given me a lot to think about, but, for now, I think we should rejoin Cathy and . . . Vincent." For the first time since seeing him, Charles had managed to think of him as 'Vincent' rather than 'the lion-man'. He supposed that it was progress of sorts but he was reluctant to leave Cathy alone with him for too long.

Catherine would have preferred to give Cathy and Vincent a little bit more time, but she could see that Charles was not yet totally sold on her ideas. "I suppose you're right." She admitted regretfully. Then her stomach growled as she and Charles stood up, and she gave an embarrassed shrug. "Besides, It's about dinner time and I'm getting hungry."

Peter nodded. "It is getting late. Maybe we can have something delivered."

Catherine smiled. "My Vincent has developed quite a fondness for supreme pizza with extra cheese and mushrooms."

Charles and Peter both looked at her with raised eyebrows. She shrugged, smiling back at them.

~ o ~

Charles looked around the table at the meager remains of three pizzas. It had been so strange seeing something as outlandish looking as Vincent enjoying something as mundane as pizza. The incongruent sight had emphasized Vincent's other-worldliness while at the same time it made Vincent seem, oddly, more human.

Charles glanced at his watch. "It's getting late." He stood up and looked pointedly at Cathy, who was currently looking at Vincent, then continued. "We really should be going."

Everyone else stood up. Cathy dragged her attention away from Vincent and looked over at Catherine. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Catherine nodded. "The people of Vincent's community have arranged to take me in for a while." She smiled conspiratorially at Cathy. "Hopefully I'll be gone before I can wear out my welcome." After a pause she stepped forward and hugged Charles tightly the released him. There was a hint of extra moisture in her eyes. "It was wonderful seeing you again." She cleared her throat. "You take care of yourself . . . OK?" She released him and quickly backed away and turned her attention to Cathy. "You make sure he gets that problem in his head taken care of."

Cathy looked at Catherine with concern. "You sound like you are going away."

Catherine replied. "I have no idea if or when I will be returned to my own world. I've introduced you and Vincent to each other so . . ." She ended with a shrug.

Peter escorted Charles and Cathy to the front door then returned to see Vincent and Catherine looking quietly at each other. His first comments were addressed mostly to Catherine. "Well, that went better than I expected, though I can tell that Charles still has his doubts but in time I think he will come around." His focus shifted to Vincent. "I would definitely say that you and Cathy sure hit it off this evening."

Vincent smiled. "She is the most fascinating person I have ever met." He glanced over at Catherine. "With the possible exception of you."

Catherine chuckled. "I would say that you found her much more interesting than me. Which is the way it should be." Her voice softened as she continued speaking mostly to herself. "I just hope it's enough to get me back home."

After a few words of goodbye, Vincent escorted Catherine below and dropped her off at the chamber that they had set aside for her. With a shock Catherine recognized the chamber.

Vincent sensed her sudden bout of _melancholy_ and paused at the chamber entrance. He frowned at her. "Why are you so somber?" He inquired.

Catherine looked up at him and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, you all have been so kind, and I don't want to burden you with my foolish problems."

Vincent stepped back into the room. "You will never be a burden to any of us. Tell me what is bothering you." Catherine hesitated and Vincent stepped closer. "Please, if there is anything that I can do, just tell me."

After another long pause Catherine responded. "It's not really anything you can do." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "When my father died I felt so lost. Without really thinking about it, I ran to the tunnels . . . I ran to you. This is the chamber that you put me in for those few days it took me to pull myself back together."

Vincent took her hand. "I will find you another chamber."

Catherine shook her head. "No this is fine." She squeezed his hand. "I really miss my family and this chamber has a feeling of familiarity to me." She released his hand. "I will be fine." He hesitated, radiating uncertainty. "Really, I will be just fine." She assured him. "And unless you want to stand there watching me sleep, you should be going." She grinned at him, daring him to respond.

He blushed then sensed the mixture of _amusement_ and _mischief_ that she was giving off. He smiled and exited.

~ o ~

Catherine woke up with a vague feeling of familiarity. Then she recognized the chamber. She searched her feelings for Vincent and her heart sank. "Still here." She grumbled sadly to herself.

She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, but sleep would not return. Finally, in disappointed resignation, she threw off the covers and dragged herself out of bed. A half hour later she walked into the community dining hall. She spotted Vincent sitting off by himself and looking a bit pensive.

Catherine grabbed some breakfast and went over to join Vincent. "Morning Vincent, why such a serious look?"

Vincent looked up at Catherine. "I'm not sure. I've never experienced anything like this before." He glanced around. "I've always been able to feel the emotions of others in the same room as me and occasionally in the chambers next to me . . . but that was the limit." He looked upward and developed a blank long-distance stare. "But I can still sense her, even though she is somewhere outside of the park." He pointed in the direction that he was staring. ". . . in that direction."

Catherine chuckled. "That is the bond."

His gaze shifted to her. "What is that?"

"It's like a permanent link between you and her. From now on you will always know where she is and how she is feeling, even if she is on the other side of the city or the other side of the world. We call it The Bond." Her eyes became dreamy and unfocused for a moment. "Once you get used to it, it will tend to fade into the background, like a radio turned down till you can barely hear it. However, any time one of you is thinking about the other, the emotions will come in loud and clear again. Also, extremely strong emotions also come in very . . . loud . . ." She shrugged.

Vincent became very still as he thought about Cathy and suddenly her emotions were coming through crystal clear and he could tell exactly which direction and how far away she was. The next instant his face turned bright red where his fur was thinnest. He quickly threw up the mental wall that he had developed as a child when all the emotions around him became too much to handle. He looked at her grinning face. "How do you stand it?"

Her grin got wider. "I love the fact that he is always aware of me." She paused a moment to savor the thought then continued. "Over time, the bond became two-way. It tied our souls together. Now, I am always aware of how he feels and he is always aware of how I feel . . ." She stopped speaking and her expression fell as her head drooped. Her next words were very soft and carried great sorrow. "At least it used to be that way. Now I'm stuck here in this strange world and there is a hole in my soul where I used to carry my little piece of him." She went quiet as a tear slid down her cheek.

At that moment the pipes announced that Cathy had been spotted wondering in the upper tunnels. Catherine looked up at Vincent with a watery half smile. "You had better go to her before she becomes hopelessly lost." She stood up. "I'll see you later." She turned and made her way back to her chamber. She had lost her appetite anyway.

~ o ~

Shortly after Catherine had returned to her chamber, Mary showed up carrying a tray of food. Catherine wiped the tears from her eyes. "Mary? . . ."

"I noticed that you forgot to take your breakfast with you when you left." Mary remarked while apparently ignoring Catherine's tears. "So, I thought I would bring it to you." She set the battered tray on the low table beside the bed. Then she sat on the bed beside Catherine and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Catherine shook her head. "No . . . not really." Then she paused as the memory of a dream drifted back to her awareness. In it she had warned Vincent about the reappearance of Paracelsus. She looked up at Mary. "On second thought, I wonder if you could bring me a stack of blank paper and a pen." Although she didn't think there was any way that they could help her with her problem, maybe there was something that she could do for them. "I would really appreciate it."

"Sure dear." Mary responded. "I think I can do that." She stood up and, after one last touch on Catherine's shoulder, left the chamber.

~ o ~

Several hours later Catherine had a couple of dozen folded and sealed pieces of paper in her hand. Most of them had a reference to a name or a place or an event. A few of them were also addressed to a specific person. She entered Father's study and found him at his desk. She called his name softly as she approached him.

Jacob looked up at her. "Is there something I can do for you my dear?"

She handed him the stack of sealed papers as she responded. "I don't know how closely events will mirror what happened in my world, but I thought these might help everyone avoid some unpleasant and occasionally dangerous problems." She pointed to the name on the top paper. If whatever is written on the outside comes to your attention, open and read what happened in my world."

Jacob looked up at her. "Predictions of the future?"

Catherine shook her head. "More like helpful information if certain events happen like they did in my world." She shrugged. "Just in case I somehow make it back to my own world."

**_Continued in Part 5_**

_( 190228 )_

* * *

**_Disclaimer: _**_The 1988 TV show __'_**_Beauty and the Beast_**_' __and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


	5. Love Endures

**Time Will Tell  
****The Beast meets his match  
**_By Thomas Mc_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter**** 5: ****Love Endures**

As Jacob was flipping through the sealed papers, Catherine continued. "Those notes describe things that happened in my world and I don't know how closely the two worlds parallel each other. The differences between how things happened to me and this world's Cathy are a perfect example of how imperfect the reflection can be." She shrugged. "Just keep that in mind when you are deciding how to use the information in those notes."

Jacob continued to flip through the notes when he stopped at one that had 'Paracelsus' written on it. He stopped and a momentary flash of sorrow crossed his face as he frowned at the still sealed note. He set it aside for later the saw that the next note had 'Margaret Chase' written on it. He looked up at Catherine, his mind in turmoil, his eyes full of questions. "Margaret? . . ."

Catherine nodded and smiled. "I figured that would get your attention. Margaret has been trying to find out what happened to you for a while now, though she has lost all hope of ever finding you still alive. She never married and she never forgave her father for dragging her away from you. She is still in love with you and, if you give her a chance, she would love this wonderful place you have created down here." She pointed to the paper. "That tells you how to get in touch with her, if you want to."

Jacob immediately broke the seal and read what Catherine had written. After a moment he looked up at Catherine. "Alan is in danger?"

Catherine nodded. "If he hasn't already, Alan will soon begin to suspect that Margaret's financial advisor has been ripping her off for a while. That knowledge will put him in danger. In my world you were in the wrong place at the wrong time and came across him immediately after he was murdered by the crooked advisor. You were arrested and accused of his murder. I already knew you by then and was able to get you cleared without giving away your secrets." There is still time to save Alan and get back together with Margaret. Daddy is a long-time friend of Alan and if you ask him, I'm sure that he could arrange for you and Alan and Margaret to get together." She pointed to the next sealed note in the stack that simply instructed that it was to be passed onto Alan as soon as possible

Jacob glanced back down at the letter then back up at Catherine. His entire posture radiated determination. "I will have Vincent pass a message to your Father." He set the stack of documents aside and pulled out a clean piece of paper and an old fashion fountain pen. He stared at the paper, contemplating what he wanted to say.

After a moment Catherine smiled, then turned and left the chamber.

After leaving Father's library Catherine decided to visit the dining hall to see if William had started serving lunch yet. As she approached the doorway, she heard Vincent's distinctive voice followed by her own laughter. This peaked her curiosity and she slowed down. She paused at the entry and scanned the room. The hall was less than a quarter full and she easily spotted Vincent and Cathy at a table fairly close to the entry. They both had their backs to Catherine, and she could hear most of what they were saying.

~ o ~

Vincent was telling Cathy about his discovery last night of the long-range link that had developed with her. He told her that the other Catherine had called it 'The Bond'. He had asked her if the idea of this bond bothered her at all. Surprisingly, Cathy was fascinated by the idea and wanted to know more.

Since their meeting yesterday Cathy had been very aware of her ever growing 'love' that she was developing for Vincent. It was ridiculous, impossible, unreasonable, yet there it was. She could not deny her feelings.

As they sat at in the subterranean chamber talking about Vincent's, apparently permanent link to her, she had no qualms over it. Then she felt a strong surge of _love_ and _desire_. Though she was falling head over heels for him, this latest emotional surge had not been hers. Her eyes got wide with surprise mixed with embarrassment. Then his unique eyebrows shot up in surprise as well. She felt _surprise_ mixed with _embarrassment_ as Vincent turned red beneath the relatively thin fur covering his face. She released a wordless exclamation of surprise as it hit her like running into a wall. '**_She was feeling Vincent's emotions!'_** She gazed back at Vincent in amazement. "I felt . . . I just felt your ... emotions." She exclaimed.

Vincent's eyes got wider. "You really felt that?" He asked in his _surprise_ mixed with a hint of _consternation_.

Cathy slowly nodded her head as her eyes locked onto his. "I'm still feeling it. Is this what it is like for you?"

This time Vincent slowly nodded. "It is exactly what it feels like for me . . ." He paused and there was a hint of puzzlement in his expression. ". . . but what I get from you is stronger . . . deeper than what I get from everyone else."

Cathy's brows furrowed in her confusion. "Catherine explained about you being an empath, but I'm no empath. I've never experienced anything like this before." She shrugged. "How is it that I can feel your emotions?"

"That was fast." The voice came from behind them.

Cathy and Vincent looked over their shoulders to see Catherine standing behind them looking surprised.

"It took a lot longer for that to happen to me." Catherine remarked.

"Vincent was just telling me about 'the Bond'. . ." Cathy glanced back at Vincent.

Catherine responded. "That is what my Vincent and I call it." She came around had sat down in front of Cathy and Vincent. "It developed for us over a period of time." She looked at Cathy and Vincent, seeing surprise mixed with speculation on both of their faces. "It probably took us so much longer because neither one of us believed that there could ever be a real romantic relationship between us. It was only after we both accepted the fact that such a relationship was already a reality that the bond finally became two-way."

Catherine was pleased to see no hesitation or uncertainty in either Vincent or Cathy over this development. She stood up. "Well, I'll leave you two alone to explore this new development. Maybe we can talk more, later." She turned and left the dining chamber. She was happy for Cathy and Vincent, but that was now overlaid with a healthy dollop of sorrow. This development had brought thoughts and feelings about her missing family roaring back and she needed to get away.

Catherine quickly left the dining hall. She paused outside the entrance to her chamber and stood there indecisively for several seconds. She caught part of a pipe message about someone having seen Vincent in the dining hall with a pair of very pretty identical twins. She shook her head as a hint of a smile crept across her lips. That would surely generate some interesting speculation. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, she made up her mind to go see if Narcissa could help her find a way to return home.

Soon she was descending the great spiral stone stairway. With each step another image of her life with Vincent would pass before her mind's eye. Each image brought with it a sense of loss. Occasionally a tear would escape unbidden from her eye as she continued her descent toward Narcissa's world, deep below the tunnel community.

As she reached the bottom of the great stone spiral stairs she had to stop. The long walk combined with her pregnancy seemed to be getting to her. She was getting so tired. She leaned against the stone wall for a few seconds to regain her energy.

Suddenly, a warm feeling of love and relief envelop her and she immediately perked up. The next instant Vincent came barreling out of one of the many openings in the surrounding wall.

Vincent just barely managed to stop himself from colliding with her then he swept her up in his arms. "Catherine, I was so afraid. You vanished for several minutes. I could get no sense of you then, as I was rushing down to where I last sensed you. Then suddenly you came back." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I was so afraid when I lost our bond." There was just a hint of ragged emotion along the edges of his voice and in his mind as he continued to hold her tight.

There was no doubt in Catherine's mind. This was her Vincent. She was home. "How long was I gone?" She barely squeaked out through the tight hug.

Vincent eased up on his embrace and looked into her eyes. "It was a couple of dozen minutes though it seemed like an eternity to me." He pulled her in for another, slightly less vigorous embrace that she gladly reciprocated. Still holding her, Vincent turned and started back up the stairs.

After the embrace eased, Catherine remarked in a slightly puzzled tone. "How odd . . . For me, I was gone three days."

Vincent continued leading her up the stairs. Those minutes that she had disappeared had scared him and now that she was back, he didn't want to let go of her anytime soon. Her statement that she had been gone for three days bothered and confused him. "What happened to you?" He asked.

As Vincent climbed the great stone stairs with her safely in his arms Catherine told him about her three-day adventure in that strange other world. By the time they reached the home tunnels all Catherine wanted to do was hold her two children while snuggling deep into Vincent's embrace

~ o ~

It had been two weeks since the other Catherine had disappeared just as mysteriously as she had appeared. Cathy looked down at her father lying in his hospital bed. In an hour he would go into surgery to repair the aneurism that Peter had found during his physical last week.

Charles reached out and took his daughters hand. "You know, at first I was very skeptical about Vincent and I wasn't sure I liked the idea of you and him . . . But in the last two weeks, I have come to think very highly of Vincent." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Every time I see you two together it's like the sun has come out in both of your faces. He is good for you and I approve of your relationship." He lowered his voice. "I overheard you talking to Peter about the possibility of marriage and children with Vincent a couple of days ago. I know that Vincent is still unsure of the idea, despite how he feels about you." He winked at her. "Make this old man happy and go for it."

Catherine squeezed her father's hand. There was a hint of extra moisture in her eyes. "You just get well so that you can be there. Talking to the other Catherine made me realize just how much you really mean to me. I need you there for me at my wedding and the birth of my children."

At that moment an orderly entered the room with Peter.

"Sorry Ma'am, we have to start getting him prepped for surgery." The orderly explained in a kind reassuring voice.

Peter put his arm around her waist. "Come on, Cathy. Charles is in good hands. I made sure that the doctor doing the surgery is the best in the business. I would accept nothing less for my best friend."

Cathy took one last look over her shoulder at her father before exiting the room. When they entered the waiting room, she was surprised at the collection of people there.

Jacob and Margaret were sitting together, holding hands to give and receive comfort. Margaret had seen and fallen in love with Jacob's world. She now spent most of her time below with Jacob. She only went above occasionally in order to keep up appearances. Next to Margaret sat Cathy's friend Jenny. Jenny had set Margaret up with a ghost writer. Together they were working on a fictionalized version of the star-crossed romance between Margaret and Jacob.

Next to Jenny sat Alan. He was a long-time friend of Cathy's father as well as being Jacob's lawyer during the HUA trials. He had been both surprised and delighted to discover that Jacob was still alive. Jacob and Charles were planning to introduce him to the tunnels after Charles was fully recovered. Margaret's crooked accountant had been arrested and so it looked like Alan was safe.

Nancy had also come down from Connecticut to be there for Cathy. The other Catherine had told her that Jenny and Nancy had both handled meeting Vincent fairly well and she had been going over several scenarios for that meeting in her mind but she hadn't made up her mind yet.

Peter led her over to a pair of empty chairs and they joined the others in the long vigil.

After a few minutes Cathy's mind drifted to Vincent. A few days after the other Catherine disappeared, Cathy had remarked to Vincent that she liked the way her real name sounded when Vincent said it. Since that day he had called her Catherine when he used her name. The mysterious visitor was now referred to as 'The Other Catherine' by everyone when talking about her. As she often did lately, she wondered if her doppelganger had made it back to her own world. She hoped that her double had made it safely back to her own Vincent.

~ o ~

Cathy stood a moment at the doorway and looked around the New York District Attorney Office bull pen. Today was the first day of her new job. She hadn't even passed through the threshold and her mind was already awash with several problems. The day after she had announced that she had been hired by the District Attorney's Office, Jacob had presented her with three of the sealed letters that the other Catherine had left behind. The few that had been opened so far may contain inaccuracies about the details but they inevitably had plenty of very useful information.

One of the letters was labeled 'New York District Attorney' and it told of a dozen potentially deadly situations that she might face. One of which involved the identity of the men involved in her mugging last year, as well as the name of a potential witness. She planned to deal with that one as soon as possible. She had also sworn to herself that in this case the witness would survive and the bad guys would stand trial.

The second letter had 'Joe Maxwell – Assistant D.A.' written on the outside. It simply told her that Joe was a straight arrow and could be counted on in a pinch. It also said that Joe would prove to be a reliable and very close friend.

The third letter turned out to be extremely disturbing. It had District Attorney Moreno's name on it and laid out the very damning details of large scale corruption as well as Moreno's part in it. She knew that she would have to approach this one very carefully. Somehow, she would have to lead Joe to the truth about his mentor without him knowing what she was up to. Since some very powerful people were involved, she would have to make sure they had all their ducks in a row before they moved on Moreno and a guy named Gabriel who the note identified as being at the center of the whole mess.

She made her way to Joe's office. Right up front she was assigned to the investigations department and given a couple of cases. They were throwing her into the deep end to see how she handled herself. That was OK with her. She had resources far beyond what Joe was aware of, including advanced knowledge about a dozen major cases over the next few years. She would surprise Joe and show him what she was made of.

~ o ~

It was one year since the day she had been introduced to Vincent and two years since the day she had been attacked and left for dead in the park. Her whole body was awash with joy as her Father escorted her toward the other end of the subterranean library where Jacob and Vincent waited. Vincent stood straight and proud in his, slightly medieval looking, Winterfest dress outfit. Today she wore her mother's raw silk wedding dress and she was about to marry her beautiful lion-man. She was most definitely living a happy life and it would only get better after this.

She glanced over at Jenny and Nancy as she passed them. The other Catherine had been right about how well they had both accepted Vincent. Both friends smiled back at her. Between them was a very frail Margaret. The doctors did not expect her to last much longer. Truth was they had not expected her to last this long but she had sworn that she would not leave until she had seen Cathy and Vincent's wedding.

In front of them stood Alan and Mary. They had formed a very unusual relationship, but it seemed to work for them. In the tunnel community Alan, Peter, Jacob, and Charles were often referred to as the four musketeers. The title suited them.

Next to Alan sat the most unexpected guest she could imagine. Joe Maxwell had suddenly and unexpectedly been introduced to Vincent and the tunnels after the Gabriel / Moreno investigation had suddenly turned deadly three weeks ago. It had taken a while, but Joe had come to accept and, in the end, become friends with Vincent. Now here he was at Catherine's wedding.

At the front of the group of guests was the most amazing development of all. The other Catherine had left them a letter that informed them that Vincent's mother was alive, and explained how to find her. It turned out that she had been running from a particularly vile and powerful person when Vincent was born. Thinking that Vincent had died minutes after birth, she had hidden his body where it had been found by the tunnel people and continued to run for her life. She had ended up in Arizona where she had started a new life. Now she, her husband and Vincent's half brother were here attending his wedding

As Cathy reached Jacob and Vincent, she silently gave thanks to the doppelganger that had mysteriously popped into her life and set her feet on the path that led to today, then just as mysteriously disappeared.

The next minute she was holding Vincent's hands as they said their vows to each other. At the same time their souls were pledging their love over 'The Bond'. Her life was already perfect yet, paradoxically, it was getting better with each word they spoke. She had well and truly found her happy life.

~ o ~

Catherine and Vincent stood beside the twins as they all looked down at a sleeping six-month-old Charles. Catherine sighed. "At this moment life is perfect." She looked up at Vincent. "I have you." She glanced at the twins, staring, fascinated into the crib. "And I have my children." She looked back up at Vincent. "I sometimes wonder how that other Catherine's life turned out."

Vincent put his arm around her and gave her a gentle one-armed hug. "You gave her a rather substantial shove in the right direction. If she was anything like you, she made the most of the situation and has found her own happy life by now."

Catherine leaned her head against Vincent's side. "I like to think so."

**_The End  
_**

_( 190228 )_

* * *

**_Disclaimer: _**_The 1988 TV show __'_**_Beauty and the Beast_**_' __and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given._


End file.
